Chris Dench

Works

Solo Woodwind

  • caught breath of time (flute doubling altoflute) (10′) (1982)
Flute Tetralog for Laura Chislett

  • vier darmstädter aphorismen

    1. Venezia (flute) (2′) (1986)
    2. piccolo fragment from Dark Neumes (piccolo) (2′) (1987)
    3. A.R.T.A.U.D. (bassflute) (3′) (1988)
    4. gelb : violett (altoflute) (7′) (1989)
  • dé/ployé (piccolo) (8′) (1987)
  • sulle scale della Fenice (flute) (10′) (1986–89)
  • closing lemma (flute) (10′) (1987–91)
Flute Pentalog for Carlton Vickers
  • dawn is a girl, removing her necklace of stars (open-hole flute [or altoflute]) (12′) (2017)
  • geminy (2017)
    • geminy (open-hole altoflute) (18′)
    • geminy A & B (open-hole altoflute) (8′ + 8′)
  • apricity ([open-hole] bass flute) (10′) [in preparation] (2017– )
  • heliotropic (piccolo) [in preparation] (12′) (2017– )
  • Brancusi's Birds (open-hole flute) (15′) [in preparation] (2017– )

  • AKJH (wooden closed-hole flute) (8′) [in preparation] (2017– )

  • time (solo bass or basset clarinet) (6′) (1979)
  • ruins within (clarinet in A) (10′) (1992–94)
  • the sadness of detail (2002)
    • folded version (clarinet) (10′)
    • unfolded version (clarinet) (10′)
  • burns (alto saxophone) (6′) (1989)
  • 'e/meth (oboe or soprano saxophone) (10′) (1995)
  • shards (solo recorder: playing bass, tenor, alto, soprano, sopranino, garklein) (10′) (2011–12)

Solo Piano

  • topologies (12′) (1978)
  • tilt (8′) (1985)
  • passing bells (2004/2020)
    • passing bells (45′)
    • passing bells: day (25′)
    • passing bells: night (20')

  • Piano Sonata (100′) (2015–16)

  • Phase Portraits:

    Book One

    1. zero-knowledge protocols (2′) (1973)
    2. helical (3′) (1975)
    3. tenebroso (6′) (1978/2003)
    4. dancing qualia (10′) (1978/ )
    5. tiento de medio registro alto (3′) (1978/2003)
    6. small box of time (8′) (2013/ )
    7. Pas Seul I: reading Takahashi (3.5′) (1979/93)

    8. Pas Seul II: vectorial (3.5′)

      Appendix to Book One

    9. Pas Seul III: rushes (piano duet) (6′) (1979/96)

    Book Two - [microsonata]

    1. into the wormworks (6′) (1984/95)
    2. esperance (4′) (1986)

    3. E-330 plays (6′) (1991/2003)

      Appendix to Book Two

    4. mem(e) (bassflute and piano) (5′) [Red House edition] [currently under revision] (1994)

    Book Three

    1. the heretical bagatelles

      1. BD & double [Brett Dean] (4′) (2009)
      2. AG [Anna Goldsworthy] (3′) (2008/12)
      3. KS [Kathryn Sullivan] (2′) (2009/12)
      4. AB 1- 6 (Ordre concis) [Andrew Bernard] (7′) (2014– )
      5. flex for AR [Alex Raineri] (7′) (2017)
      6. PdeJ 1 (facetiae) [Peter de Jager] (9') (2017)
      7. PdeJ 2 (austerer measures) (6') (2017)
      8. PdeJ 3 (laminar flow) (5′) (2017)
      9. MK [Mark Knoop] (5') (2017– )
      10. forAY [Adam Yee] (5') (2017– )

      11. JD [John Davis] (5') (2017– )

        [When all three PdeJ pieces are performed as a group they should be referred to as the Sonata de Jager]

    Book Four

    1. the heart's algorithms (13′) (1993/99–2002)
    2. ik(s)land[s] fragment (2′) (1997/98)
    3. (the) Barry Jones Dances (15′) [in preparation] (2013– )

Organ

  • compostela/finisterre (large organ) (18′) (2005–06 extended 2009)

Solo Percussion

  • small box of time (marimba) (8′) (2013)

Solo Guitar

  • severance (8′) (1988–94)
  • asymptotic freedom (17′) (1997–99) [Red House edition]
  • in Chasm City (7-string electric guitar) (19′) [edited by Mark Wilson] (2018)
  • unquiet (10′) [in preparation] (2019– )
  • noctuary (10-string guitar) (12′) [in preparation] (2019– )

Chamber Music

  • First String Quartet (65′) [rewrite completed--score forthcoming] (1985/2019)
  • Second String Quartet (20′) [in preparation] (2018– )
  • sum over histories (string trio) (15′) [new version] (2006/18– )
  • fundamental processes (trio basso--viola, cello, contrabass) (20′) [new version] (2008/18– )
  • funk (bass clarinet and untuned percussion) (10′) (1988–89)
  • 'atsiluth/shîn (flute, bass clarinet, and piano) (12′) [currently withdrawn for revision] (1991)
  • from n(ich)t (mezzo-soprano, recorder, guitar) (6′) (1999)
  • Liminal (cello and piano) [currently withdrawn: score being recopied] (8′) (1978/2004/2018)
  • Permutation City (percussion duo: playing two marimbas, vibraphone, and two octaves of crotales) (16′) (2005–08)
  • Blood Music (clarinet, seven-string electric guitar, and quarter-tone vibraphone) (13′) (2005)
  • e(i)ther (violin and piano) (13′) (2005)
  • an Hypallage (mezzo-soprano, baritone, harp (or piano)) [text: Lawrence Sterne] (3′) (2008)
  • diurnal (soprano and drone) [text: Arthur Haswell] (8′) (2014)
  • polyme(t)ric threads (E flat clarinet & soprano saxophone) (12′) (2017)

Ensemble Works

  • énoncé (sixteen instruments) (18′) (1983–84)
  • recueillement (baritone voice, flute, oboe, clarinet, trombone, percussion, violin, viola, cello, bass) [text: Baudelaire] (12′) [currently withdrawn for revision] (1986/ )
  • driftglass (solo percussion and five amplified instruments) (10′) (1990)
  • beyond status geometry (percussion quartet) (20′) (1995)
  • ik(s)land[s] (mezzo-soprano and flute, clarinet, guitar, percussion, violin, cello) [text: berni m janssen] (20′) (1997–98)
  • eigenmomenta (flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello) (10′) (2000–01)
  • light-strung sigils (recorder and flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello) (15′) (2001–02)
  • the blinding access of the grace of the flesh (mezzo-soprano and flute, clarinet, guitar, percussion, violin, cello) [text: berni m janssen] (11′) (2003)
  • Agnî (from Agnî-Prometheus-Lucifer) (sixteen instruments) (10′) (2006)
  • Prometheus (from Agnî-Prometheus-Lucifer) (solo flute and fifteen instruments) (10′) [currently withdrawn for revision] (1992/2017– )
  • in Platonia (solo guitar (amplified) and flute, oboe, clarinet, percussion, violin, cello) (25′) [in preparation] (2011– )
  • crystallisation (baritone voice, and flute/alto/piccolo, oboe/melodica, B flat clarinet/E flat clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello) [text: Arthur Haswell] (10′) (2011)
  • flux (two flutes, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello) (18′) (2016)

Music Theatre

Chamber-music-theatre
  • heterotic strings (soprano and baritone voices, flute/alto/piccolo, oboe/cor anglais/melodica, B flat clarinet/E flat clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello) [text: Arthur Haswell] [incomplete] (40-60') (2011– )
  • seven types of time machine (soprano/narrator, solo recorder, flute, oboe, clarinet, trombone, two percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello, bass) [incomplete] (50-60′) (2012– )
  • a composition lesson (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass voices, and six percussionists) [libretto by the composer] [in preparation] (60–70′) (2010– )
Chamber opera
  • We (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass voices, and ensemble) [libretto: Dustine Barnes, after Zamyatin] [in preparation] (80–120′) (2010–
  • Enoch Soames, a chamber opera after Max Beerbohm [libretto in preparation]

Large Ensemble and Orchestra

  • Symphony 1 (orchestra) (18′) [currently under re-orchestration] (1977–80)
  • Symphony 2 for three brass trios and percussion (20′) [currently withdrawn for revision] (1982/ )
  • Symphony 3: afterimages (orchestra) (20′) [currently under revision] (1987/ )
  • Symphony 4 (four voices and large orchestra) (21′) (1994–97)